Approach Shoes

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Recent Approach Shoe Reviews

TrekSta Granite

Approach shoes are trail hikers that are also intended for diversions such as easier rock climbs and scrambling that require good traction, a secure fit, and durability. The Granite, with men's and women's versions, meets those needs with a comfortable, stable shoe built on a last that is best for people whose feet are wider at the ball of the foot. Some useful features include speed laces that run all the way to the toes, a reinforced toe area, and sticky high-traction soles. This mostly full-leather… Full review

Salewa Men's Wildfire Pro

The Salewa Wildfire Pro is, as its name implies, an approach shoe. As such it bridges the gap between a hiking shoe and a climbing shoe. This shoe is the latest iteration of the Wildfire and it truly does hike like a hiking shoe and climb like a climbing shoe. This shoe is designed to go climbing when you get into an area where you need to go scrambling. It will take you from the parking lot to the summit. Salewa nailed it on this shoe! Recommended Use: Salewa recommends the Wildfire Pro for use… Full review

Salewa Men's Mountain Trainer GTX

I am a seasoned boot user, but after reading a number of opinion blogs I thought I would try a hiking shoe. The Salewa Mountain Trainer has turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. While not as comfortable on my foot as my Aslo boots are, they have proven to be a very solid shoe and I really appreciate the lighter footwear compared to my boots. The shoe fits great. While it did require a good deal of time to break in, the shoe is relatively comfortable now. I have about 100 miles on the shoes… Full review

Arc'teryx Men's Acrux FL Shoe

Like the engineering ideas, flaws in liner design. As a big fan of Arc'teryx products I was excited to see how they would reinvent the approach shoe. I liked the weight, the seamless body, the airflow, they were very comfortable. BUT, the first short hike of about three miles with no-show socks revealed that the non removable liner keeps moving around in the heel area, cutting through the skin of both my heels until blistering and bleeding. Can't return since they have been worn and the blistering… Full review

Arc'teryx Men's Acrux FL Shoe

A very impressive shoe with a design unlike any other shoe I have used previously because of the unique inner and outer construction. I would highly recommend this shoe for anyone looking for a durable, light, and comfortable approach/hiking shoe. I had the opportunity to test the Arc'teryx Acrux FL (originally Alpha FL) hiking/approach shoe during the winter of 2014-2015 in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire. Fit and Comfort: Over the years I have purchased a variety of footwear. These… Full review

Five Ten Men's Camp Four

These are my go-to shoes for day hikes. I've done 1 or 2 light overnights (15-20lbs) in these when I knew it'd be dry and I would appreciate the traction due to rocky terrain. I have pretty average feet, so I'm not sure if that's why I didn't have the sizing problems the other reviewers had or not. These shoes were comfy out of the box with all the sock options I threw at them. These shoes were also very comfortable during hot Joshua Tree summer days. They vented heat really well but you sacrifice… Full review

Five Ten Men's Exum Guide

Great boot that fills the gap between Burly Backpacking Tank and Wispy Barely there Trailrunner. I'm going to get this out of the way first since it's ultimately not very important. My pair is a light gray, almost white color. The first time I wore them on a hike (16 miles up Icebox Canyon in the summer so lots of dust) they looked beat all to heck. This in no way effected their performance but it looked like they were old and beat up. I've worn them for a little bit of everything, backpacking… Full review

Five Ten Men's Guide Tennie

Got these in the Yosemite mountain shop and walked around the valley for two days taking pictures. A little scrambling to get in position for some shots of climbers on El Cap and walking the roads of the valley to get around. The salesman talked me into getting my regular size because I wasn't planning on doing any technical climbing and I'm glad he did. I strolled around and put probably ten miles on them in two days. It was a warm November 1st and 2nd (70 degrees daytime) and with summer weight… Full review

Millet Trident Guide

The details put into the design of this approach shoe shout "quality." It can be difficult finding approach shoes that fit mid to wide feet and that won't be prone to the ever-problematic "ankle roll" issues that many approach shoes seem to have.
The Millet Trident series approach shoes appear to solve these issues. Perfect as a multi-activity shoe...not just dedicated to the trails. The soles are thick and will last. Full review